This is especially dangerous for Senator Clinton. The far Left of her party is now ferociously anti-war. If middle America is again willing to see this through, she runs the risk of either pandering to her base and losing swing voters, or supporting the troops and alienating her base. Neither is good.
Look for Democratic leaders — maybe including Mrs. Clinton herself — to start to redefine victory. They will cease to measure military progress and start demanding Iraqi political unity.
Our troops will win while their politicians bicker. This would enable Democrats and their presidential candidate to continue ranting that we’re losing the war, beating Republicans over the head with it, even if it's not true.
Such a strategy would be so shameful as to be disgusting, but when you tie your hopes for victory to the defeat of your own countrymen you have little choice when they actually start winning.
It used to be said that politics stopped at the water’s edge. No matter how much we argue over policy, our country used to come together during wartime to rally for victory.
It's a profound shame that our politics have gotten to this point. It’s a shame that the Democrats are likely to nominate one of the most divisive and polarizing candidates in American political history as their leader. Hillary Clinton will likely continue the politics of division and distrust that has so degraded our national discourse. If Republicans nominate someone who can unify the country and bring us back together as one on matters of war and peace, they might just win this election.
More importantly, we might just win this war. |